26 Qualities of a Devotee

March 23, 2023

26 Qualities of a Devotee

YouTube: A Perfect Gentleman - 26 Qualities of Srila Prabhupada

CC Madhya 22.78-80
kṛpālu, akṛta-droha, satya-sāra sama
nidoṣa, vadānya, mṛdu, śuci, akiñca

nasarvopakāraka, śānta, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa
akāma, anīha, sthira, vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa

mita-bhuk, apramatta, mānada, amānī
gambhīra, karuṇa, maitra, kavi, dakṣa, maunī

Synonyms
kṛpālu — merciful; akṛta-droha — not defiant; satya-sāra — thoroughly truthful; sama — equal; nidoṣa — faultless; vadānya — magnanimous; mṛdu — mild; śuci — clean; akiñcana — without material possessions; sarva-upakāraka — working for the welfare of everyone; śānta — peaceful; kṛṣṇa-eka-śaraṇa — exclusively surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; akāma — desireless; anīha — indifferent to material acquisitions; sthira — fixed; vijita-ṣaṭ-guṇa — completely controlling the six bad qualities (lust, anger, greed, etc.); mita-bhuk — eating only as much as required; apramatta — without inebriation; māna-da — respectful; amānī — without false prestige; gambhīra — grave; karuṇa — compassionate; maitra — a friend; kavi — a poet; dakṣa — expert; maunī — silent.

Translation
“Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities — lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent.

Purport to SB 2.3.13
A pure devotee of the Lord automatically develops all godly qualities, and some of the prominent features of those qualities are as follows: he is kind, peaceful, truthful, equable, faultless, magnanimous, mild, clean, nonpossessive, a well-wisher to all, satisfied, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, without hankering, simple, fixed, self-controlled, a balanced eater, sane, mannerly, prideless, grave, sympathetic, friendly, poetic, expert and silent.

Purport to SB 5.18.12
Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaiṣṇava from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava: